Paying Debts
by HannahSakura2010
Summary: Sister fic to "The Siren's Call" Yao Wang just wants to get out of China for a while to look for someone important to him. Captain Arthur Kirkland agrees to let him sail with him. The only thing he wants in payment is Yao's body for one night. But Yao is hiding a secret. Will Arthur find it out? Smut later on.


**This is a sister fic to my other story **_**The Siren's Call**_**. It explains Yao and Arthur's story. You do not necessarily have to read **_**The Siren's Call**_** in order to understand what happens in this one, although it does explain a few things that might be confusing or mysterious in this fic. I would love it if you would also read **_**The Siren's Call**_** though. It is the main story; this is just a side story. Also, Angel Longstring is writing another sister fic to **_**The Siren's Call**_** called **_**Deep Oceans**_**. It details Guinevere's story. The first few chapters are up on her profile.  
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**Also, this fic is rated T for now, but it will become rated M in later chapters for smut.**

* * *

The small Chinese port city was alive, even at night. Vendors had their carts out long after the sun had set. All sorts of different smells rose from the city; the smell of meat buns, dumplings, and bread permeated the air. Paper lanterns lit up the night sky and children ran around, some of them brandishing small sparklers or firecrackers. Everywhere, people talked and laughed, celebrating the incoming New Year.

Arthur Kirkland observed his surroundings from his chair at the small, crowded restaurant that he was sitting at. He could only understand basic Chinese, but he gathered that the festivities were in honor of the Chinese New Year, the year of the Dragon, if he was not mistaken. His emerald eyes followed a group of shrieking children as they ran past him, some of them stopping briefly to stare at the white man before running off again, following their friends. It was not the first weird look that the pirate had gotten tonight.

Arthur knocked back the rest of his cup of rice wine before rising to his feet. His crew members were out in the city, joining in the revels. He doubted any of them could speak Chinese, but they would manage. Half of them would be at the brothel, and the other half would be drinking themselves senseless at the nearest tavern. Arthur didn't care what they did; as long as they were back on the _Emerald Mist_ tomorrow morning, they could do as they liked.

The British pirate walked along the street, dodging out of the way of partygoers, drunkards, and children alike. Vendors yelled at him, urging him to buy their wares. One man actually shoved a small statue of Buddha in Arthur's face. Arthur waved them all off irritably, laying his hand on his pistol to frighten off the boldest and most persistent merchants.

A cheer rose up from farther down the street, and Arthur craned his neck for a look at what caused the commotion. A huge paper dragon was making its way down the street. Revelers hurried to get out of the way of the ornate puppet as it passed. Children stopped to stare in awe of the display, mouths opening wide. Arthur quickly ducked into a side street as the procession passed him.

Suddenly, under the noise of the crowd, he heard a small cry of pain. Arthur immediately became alert, tuning out the sounds of the crowd. A flurry of Chinese sounded farther back in the alley; it sounded like several people speaking at once. The cry came again, along with a curse.

"_Let me go, you bastards!_" a voice yelled. Arthur frowned and crept along the alley towards the voices.

Around the next bend, a small group of three men stood in a circle. A fourth, smaller figure stood in the middle. The men were laughing at the smaller figure. Arthur caught a glimpse of their victim.

A short young man stood with his hands tied behind his back as one of his assailants traced a finger over the skin of his bare stomach. Another man had a hand over his mouth and was holding the man's shirt up. The third was holding one of his legs in the air to off-balance him. The man touching him grinned.

"_You are too pretty,_" Arthur translated the man's words. "_How about we have some fun with you for a while?_" The captive tried to shake his head but was held still.

Arthur stormed up to the group and pulled his pistol from its holster. He jammed it against the head of the man who had spoken. "_Let him go!_" he growled in Chinese.

The men's eyes widened at the sight of the pirate but they didn't let their prisoner go.

"_Get out of here, bastard!_" the man who Arthur had his gun against growled. He took out a long, wicked looking dagger and held it to the captive's throat. He did not seem frightened of Arthur's gun.

Arthur fought the urge to pull the trigger right there. He glared at the man. "_Let him go,_" he repeated. "_Or I will shoot._"

"_If you shoot me, they will kill him,_"the man replied, jerking his head at the captive. One of the other men moved to take his knife.

"Then I won't shoot," Arthur said, speaking in English now to disorient the group. He cracked the gun against the man's temple. The assailant dropped like a rock. Before the other two could react, Arthur punched the man holding the captive's leg in the face, making him let go, and jerked the captive out of the other's grasp. The man gasped in a breath as he was freed.

The only man left standing let out a curse and drew his own knife. Arthur raised his gun again, but the man he had freed shot forward. He sent a roundhouse kick that landed in the man's gut. The assailant doubled over as his breath let him, and the short man brought his heel down on the middle of the man's back. The assailant crumpled on the ground, unconscious. The man Arthur had punched was on the ground, clutching his broken nose and moaning. The short man sent a kick at his temple, knocking him out as well.

The freed man stood above him, panting hard. His hands were still bound behind his back. Arthur drew his knife and freed the man's hands.

"_Are you alright?_" Arthur asked him in Chinese.

The man turned to look at him. He had lovely golden eyes and long black hair pulled into a ponytail. "Yes. I am alright," he replied in accented English. "Why did you help me?"

Arthur grinned. "You speak English?" he asked.

"Obviously," the man said. "Why did you help me?"

"I heard you yell and came to investigate," Arthur explained, ignoring the man's rudeness. "You looked like you could use some help."

"I was handling it," the man retorted.

"You were bloody not!" Arthur snapped. "The least you could do is to thank me for saving you!"

The man glared at Arthur before turning his back on the pirate. "Thank you," he said grudgingly.

Arthur let out an irritated breath. "You don't sound very grateful," he muttered.

The man took a deep breath and turned back around. "Thank you for saving me," he said, sounding a little more honest.

"Much better. I'm Arthur, by the way," Arthur blurted out.

"Yao," the man said shortly. "I must be going now, so if you'll excuse me…"

"_There you are!_"

"Damn!" Yao swore. He looked around for a possible escape route.

A group of armed guards came into the alley from the way Arthur had come. Two of them had pistols trained on Arthur and Yao. Another man trailed behind them. He saw Yao and his face dissolved into a snarl.

"_That is the one! He stole food from me!_" the last man said, pointing a finger at Yao.

Arthur raised his hands over his head when one of the guns was pointed at him. Yao did the same beside him. One of the men walked forward.

"_You are in much trouble,_" he snapped at Yao. He walked right up to Yao and held the pistol to his head. "_Come with us right now._"

Yao grabbed the guard's arm and jerked it up sharply, preventing him from firing at him. In one fluid motion, he tripped the man and took his gun. He then pelted off down the alley before anyone else could process what was going on. The other guards gave a yell of anger and pursued.

The guard Yao had tripped got painfully to his feet. He glared at Arthur.

"_Are you an accomplice?_" he snarled.

Arthur shook his head. "_Just met him,_" he replied.

The man gave Arthur a very obvious once-over. "_You are a Western devil,_" he said derisively. "_You should leave this city._" With that, the man limped away after his comrades. He paid no attention to the still-unconscious thugs laying spread over the alley.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Arthur growled, glaring at the man's back. He quickly walked out of the alley before the assailants had a chance to wake up, brushing past the man who had accused Yao of stealing. He found himself hoping that Yao was okay.

* * *

Later that night, Arthur was watching a lion dance. The ornate puppets danced around, each trying to get at a head of cabbage hanging high over their heads. Arthur happened to look directly across the square, and he caught a glimpse of a familiar black ponytail just as it disappeared into the crowd gathered around the display.

Arthur was crossing the square in a flash, pursuing Yao. He stood taller than most of the people in the square, making it easier to see over their heads, but Yao blended into the crowd perfectly, making it difficult to pick him out from the others. Arthur caught another glimpse of him as he slipped into a nearby alley. Arthur frowned. It looked like Yao was limping.

The alley led out to a street overlooking the ocean. Sure enough, Arthur spotted Yao sitting alone in the mouth of the alley. The Chinese was massaging his left ankle.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked, approaching the smaller man.

Yao gasped and whirled around, trying to roll onto his feet. He was sent back to the ground with a yelp of pain as he put too much weight on his hurt leg.

"Careful!" Arthur said, kneeling down beside Yao and putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him from rising.

"Let go!" Yao gasped, swatting Arthur's hand away. Arthur's hand came back sticky with what felt like blood.

"You're hurt," Arthur observed. "Let me help you."

"I don't need your help, Westerner!" Yao snapped. "I'm fine on my own!"

"Did they shoot you?" Arthur ignored Yao's protests and gently probed his shoulder. "Is there a bullet in you?"

"No, it just grazed me," Yao responded, still trying to throw Arthur off. "I'm fine, bastard! Let go!"

"Stubborn bastard, aren't you?" Arthur asked absently. He moved his hand down to Yao's ankle, checking the swollen foot for breaks or fractures. "I think you sprained your ankle too."

"Oh! You think my ankle is hurt? I did not notice!" Yao said sarcastically. "Thank you for telling me."

"Oh, shut it," Arthur snapped. "I'm trying to help you."

"And I keep saying that I do not need your help!"

Arthur sighed. "You're really ungrateful, aren't you?" he asked. He thought for a moment. He could help Yao better if he took him back to the _Emerald Mist._ He could wrap his ankle and take a closer look at his shoulder. "Come with me," Arthur ordered. "I'll carry you."

"No!" Yao snarled.

Arthur scowled and scooped the smaller Chinese into his arms. Yao yelped and squirmed violently. "I'll drop you," Arthur warned, wincing as he struggled to hold the Chinese man.

"Let me go!" Yao yelled.

"Don't yell, love. You'll draw unwelcome attention," Arthur warned. This quieted Yao down, although Arthur could feel his golden eyes glaring at him.

"Where are you taking me?" Yao asked suspiciously.

"Back to my ship. I'm going to try to treat your wounds," Arthur said, shifting Yao in his arms. The Chinese wasn't heavy, but he was bloody awkward to carry and would get in the way if Arthur needed to fight. He carefully set Yao onto his feet, making sure to support his left side. "Climb on my back," he said.

Yao hesitated. "Why are you helping me?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Because I want to," Arthur responded.

Yao slowly shook his head. "I don't believe you," he said. "You Westerners just want to take us over. And you're a pirate, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" Arthur asked, surprised.

Yao shrugged. "I only guessed until you just told me."

Arthur scowled. "Just get on," he snapped. Yao hesitantly climbed on Arthur's back and Arthur set out for the docks again.

"What's your ulterior motive?" Yao asked as they walked.

"I'm interested," was the only reply he got. Arthur had finally reached the docks and was walking towards his ship.

"I'm not some whore," Yao snarled, starting to squirm. "Don't think I'm easy!"

"Did I say you were?" Arthur asked, now walking up the gangplank. He waved off one of the guards he had left to watch the ship and carried Yao back to his cabin.

"Where are we going?"

Arthur opened the door. "My cabin," he said as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He deposited the Chinese onto his bed and retrieved some bandages and clean water. "I don't really have medicine for you, but I'll see what I can do with what I have."

Yao winced as Arthur held a damp cloth to his shoulder, but didn't make a sound. The wound felt shallow, but it had bled a lot. Arthur cleaned the area around the gash free of blood before probing around more. "It's not very deep from what I can tell," he said slowly. "You should be fine if I wrap it." Arthur rose to his feet and walked over to his desk. He returned with a bottle of an herbal salve that helped heal minor wounds like Yao's. He hated using it, not knowing when he would be able to obtain more, but Yao needed it. "Hold still while I put this on you."

Yao leaned away. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the bottle.

Arthur rubbed some of the salve onto his fingers. "It will help heal the wound," he said. He gently spread the salve around the wound and wrapped it up tightly. Yao stayed silent through the whole ordeal.

Arthur finished tying the bandage and knelt on the ground. "I'll have to wrap your ankle too. And you won't be able to put much weight on it for a while."

Yao winced as Arthur handled his hurt ankle. The ankle was swelled up and definitely badly sprained. "Well, I need to be able to walk on it," Yao insisted. "They'll be looking for me, and I need to be able to run away."

Arthur began wrapping more cloths tightly around the sprain. "Well, you won't be able to for a few weeks, love."

Yao tried to jerk his leg away, but Arthur tightened his grip on the hurt ankle, making Yao hiss in pain.

"I'm trying to help you, Yao!" Arthur snarled. "Stay still!"

"No, I need to go before they find me," Yao said in a low voice. "I can't stay here."

Arthur finished with his ankle and tied the bandage off. "Do you really think that they will come onto a "Western devil's" ship to look for you?" he responded. "You're safe here."

Yao opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment his stomach growled loudly, and he shut his mouth, glaring at Arthur's smirk. Arthur chuckled. "Wait here. I'll get you some food."

Arthur got off the ground and walked over to his door. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Don't go anywhere," he ordered.

Yao scowled. "Do not tell me what to do!" he snapped.

Arthur shrugged and closed the door behind him, tempted to lock it just in case. He did not want Yao hurting himself by trying to leave.

The fresh sea breeze caressed his face as he opened the door leading to the deck. He stood there for a moment, breathing the air in, before signaling to one of the guards. The man came over to see what his captain wanted. "Bring me some bread and cheese from the galley," he ordered. "Bring it to my cabin."

"Aye, capt'n." The man scurried off.

Arthur made his way back to his cabin. Yao hadn't left the bed. He had drawn his knees up to his chest and was massaging his ankle absently.

"Food will be here shortly," Arthur said as he made his way back to the bed and sat down next to Yao. He crossed his legs and smiled at the Chinese.

Yao stared warily back. "Why are you doing this?" he asked again, suspicion surfacing in his voice. "No one has ever…" He cut himself off, his face becoming guarded.

Arthur stared at him. "I cannot simply be nice to you without arousing suspicion?" he asked innocently.

Yao looked away. "You said that you were 'interested' earlier," he said. "What did you mean by that?"

Arthur chuckled and brought Yao's ponytail to his lips and kissed the tips of the black hair. "What do you think I meant?" he drawled.

Yao jerked away from him. "Don't touch me!" he snapped, lashing out with a hand. Arthur dodged it and grabbed Yao's small hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing the knuckles.

"I'm not going to do anything to you, love," he murmured, amused at the uncomfortable look on the Asian's face.

Yao tried to tug his arm away, and scowled when Arthur just tightened his grip. "Bastard!" he snarled. But the tips of his delicate ears had gone red.

Arthur chuckled again, smirking. A knock on the door sounded. "And that would be the food," he murmured, standing up and going to retrieve it. He thanked the sailor and placed the tray on the table. "Can you make it over here or do you need my help?" he called patronizingly.

Yao scowled and limped over to the table, being careful not to put too much weight on his hurt foot. He sank down into a chair and stared at the food. Arthur knew that he was too proud to eat it.

Arthur walked over to his desk and opened a drawer, taking out a journal, quill, and ink bottle. "Go ahead and eat," he called over his shoulder, opening the journal to a blank page and making notes about his business in the city. He heard the sounds of Yao tucking into the food and grinned. He finished with his notes and left the journal open on his desk to let the ink dry.

Yao had finished the food quickly and was massaging his ankle again. Arthur sank down in the seat across from Yao.

Yao quickly stood up and bowed jerkily. "Thank you for the food and medicine," he mumbled, clearly torn about thanking a Westerner. "I must be heading back to the city."

Arthur stood up and moved to block him. "What is the rush?" he asked. "I told you that no one would look for you on this ship."

Yao shook his head. "You do not know that," he said softly. "They saw you with me."

"They don't know which ship is mine," Arthur pointed out.

"How many other Western ships are in this harbor? I don't think that it would be very hard to pick yours out from the rest of the ships here."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Well, I am leaving in the morning anyway. You could go with me. I'm sure we could work something out."

Yao frowned. "I'm not leaving with you," he said slowly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You want to stay here alone, while you are wounded?" he asked. "So I am assuming that you want to get arrested?"

Yao shook his head, looking unsure. "I'll be fine on my own. I always have been," he said softly.

Arthur smirked. "Fine then," he drawled. "Stay here and get arrested. But I bet my ship is more comfortable than a Chinese jail."

Yao glared back. "I'm not going to get caught!" he snapped.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're a wanted man," he responded. "And you are wounded. You will not be able to get anywhere with that ankle. They'll catch you in a day or less!"

Yao slowly shook his head and sat back down at the table. "I'll be fine," he insisted.

Arthur sighed. "Just come with me," he said. "You want to leave this place. I would enjoy your company. It would be a change of pace from what I'm used to. And I can take you far away from here. I sail towards Ireland tomorrow. I could take you with me."

Yao raised a thin eyebrow. "And all you want is my company?" he said dryly. "What do you want from me?"

Arthur trailed his fingers through Yao's silky black hair, taking the leather strip that kept it in its ponytail. "One night," he said finally. "Let me have your body for one night as payment."

Yao jerked to his feet and snatched the leather strip from Arthur. "No thank you," he growled. He turned on his heel, his black hair fanning out behind him.

Arthur grabbed Yao's unhurt shoulder to keep him from leaving. "You want to get out of this city, do you not?" he asked. "I can help you."

Yao attempted to pull away, but Arthur kept a firm grip on him. "I'm not your toy," he growled. "Let me go."

Arthur turned Yao around to face him. "Did I say that you were my toy?" he asked. "I just asked for one night. I'll even let you choose the night. Just let me have my way with you for a night, and I'll be satisfied."

Yao turned away again, biting his lip. Was he considering the offer? "Where would you take me?" he asked quietly. "Where are you going?"

Arthur walked over to a map on the wall. "I'm sailing towards Ireland, then towards Singapore," he said. "I'd likely make some stops on the way to restock and resupply the ship. It would be a long journey."

Yao was still biting his lip, considering. _He must really want to leave_, Arthur observed.

Yao finally straightened up and turned back to him. "One night?" he asked.

Arthur nodded, trying to keep the smirk off of his face.

Yao finally sighed. "Fine!" he snapped. "I'll go with you."

Arthur grinned. "Excellent!" he crowed. He crossed over to Yao and tilted his chin up. "Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?" he asked before pressing their mouths together.

Yao yelped and tried to jump back, but Arthur held him still. After he got over the initial shock, Yao let Arthur kiss him, albeit hesitantly. Yao's lips were soft and sweet tasting. Arthur decided to keep the kiss chaste and let him go after a few moments.

Yao was looking uncomfortable as he shifted his weight onto his good leg. "Uh, we might as well get this over with," he muttered.

"What was that, love?" Arthur asked.

Yao was avoiding looking at him. "We might as well get everything over with tonight," he said a little louder.

Arthur chuckled. "Not tonight," he said, running his hands through Yao's ponytail.

"You said that you would let me choose the night!"

"So eager, darling. But, the night is half over already," he murmured, gently kissing the tips of Yao's ponytail. I want you for an entire night, not just half. Besides, it is no fun if you are hurt; why don't we wait until you're healed, so that you can enjoy it? I want you to be screaming in pleasure, not pain. Well, not too much pain."

"I will not enjoy it anyway," Yao muttered. A dark red blush graced his pale cheeks, and he was still avoiding looking at Arthur, but he had relaxed a bit.

Arthur kissed his forehead and stepped away. "Do you have anything that I need to go get for you?"

Yao shook his head.

"Fine then. "Make yourself comfortable; we sail tomorrow."

* * *

**Again, this is a sister fic to **_**The Siren's Call**_**. I don't usually write IggyChu, so I am not used to the pairing, but I will try my best. There will be smut later, I promise.**

**I hope that you enjoyed this! Review if you liked it!**


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